About

The Don’t Panic Management Story

Don’t Panic Management began as a small freelance operation in 2009, with about 3 clients and very low expenses. It was an unfortunate time for the economy, but a wonderful time for creatives—especially those who had a bit of business acumen. People were getting laid off left and right, but at the same time were rebelling against the traditional economic boundaries and starting their own businesses. It was an inspiring time for entrepreneurs.

Just like with any business, growth is great, but it brings upon challenges. New business owners were finding success and needed help. They wanted to hire someone who cared about their goals as much as they did and were willing to put in the time and energy into their success. That’s where the Don’t Panic team came into play.

Cut to today, and it’s apparent that this virtual workforce isn’t just a flash in the pan. It’s the wave of the future.

Since we launched in 2009, our skills and experiences have grown tenfold. Our team is made up of foster parents, artists, marketing consultants, nonprofit leaders—the list goes on and on. But we all have one thing in common: a unique set of skills combined with reliability, humility, and a curious mind that help us make our clients’ dreams a reality.

Whether the goal is to create more written content, launch a podcast, or simply organize an inbox, our assistants can get the job done. Because we’re in the weeds of the day-to-day projects that allow our clients’ businesses to run smoothly, we’re able to get inside their heads and determine their needs often before they even realize them, and we’re able to make decisions on their behalf when they’re overwhelmed and overworked.

Be Neighborly

Be Proactive

Be Reliable

Be Communicative

Be Curious

Seek opportunities to learn and grow.

Our Mission

We exist to make your passion possible and allow people to lead a more purposeful, independent life.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Jess Ostroff

CEO & Director of Calm

Jess conceived the idea of Don’t Panic Mgmt based on a fortune cookie (and the Coldplay song of course). With the “don’t panic” mantra in mind, she has found that there is nothing too big or strong for her to conquer. Jess is known for making photogenic recipes (and then Instagramming them) and her hilarious dance to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song, “Give It Away”. She firmly believes in the Oxford Comma and has a passion for finding efficient ways to get things done. Jess's first book, Panic Proof: How the Right Virtual Assistant Can Save Your Sanity and Grow Your Business is available now: panicproofbook.com

Becca Vaclavik

Chief People Officer

Becca was trained to work under the “duck” project management philosophy—she is always cool and unruffled on the surface, but paddlin’ like hell underneath. A master in the arts of organization and facilitation, she believes the best way to tackle daunting to-do lists is to infuse joy and a bit of silliness into every project she takes on (not unlike Mary Poppins). In her spare time, she can usually be found wandering around in the Rockies with her husband, killing it at Trivia Nights with her friends, or desperately trying to keep her dog Brillo off the furniture.

Current location: Greeley, COGo-to Karaoke song: “Shoop” by Salt-n-PepaFavorite kind of cheese: BrieBeverage of choice: ProseccoSuper power: Offering people the help they need before they realize they need it.

Jenn Hines

Chief Client Officer

Jenn thrives on funky design tasks and Googling even the strangest queries (seriously, you should see her search history). Researching, scheduling, blogging, and hacking photoshop are some of her many specialties. She lives for ambitious deadlines and her organizational skills are unmatched. Usually, you can find Jenn attempting to balance work and life with her husband & new baby boy, while still trying to fit in a little “me-time”. Since there are hardly enough hours in the day, that usually means she’s sitting on the couch at midnight with a glass of moscato, catching up on Scandal episodes.

Current location: Lancaster, CAGo-to Karaoke song: “Strawberry Wine” by Deana CarterFavorite kind of cheese: AsiagoBeverage of choice: Mimosas, Mojitos, Moscato, and basically any drink beginning with the letter MSuper power: The ultimate Google-r and all around encyclopedia. Need to know how to fold a fitted sheet? There’s a YouTube video for that.

Our Assistants

Executive Assistants

Jenn Hines

Meet Jenn Hines

Jenn thrives on funky design tasks and Googling even the strangest queries (seriously, you should see her search history). Researching, scheduling, blogging, and hacking photoshop are some of her many specialties. She lives for ambitious deadlines and her organizational skills are unmatched. Usually, you can find Jenn attempting to balance work and life with her husband & new baby boy, while still trying to fit in a little “me-time”. Since there are hardly enough hours in the day, that usually means she’s sitting on the couch at midnight with a glass of moscato, catching up on Scandal episodes.

Elise LeBreton

Meet Elise LeBreton

Elise’s background in the performing arts has taught her how to do many things: think on her feet, create on a deadline, and make something amazing when resources are tight (as well as tap dance, sword fight, and play the ukulele). She’s a writer and graphic designer who enjoys wearing many hats, and she’s always willing to try on a new one. When she’s not working for Don’t Panic, Elise is a professional actor and die-hard Shakespeare fanatic. She’s still working on a gumbo recipe that will make her family proud.

Kimberly Voorhis

Meet Kimberly Voorhis

Kimberly is a lover of all things adventurous who seeks to make the mundane magnificent. She approaches each assignment as a challenge and celebrates the completion of any task with a victory dance. She believes in the power of efficiency and the necessity of teamwork (and coffee!). Organizational effectiveness makes her giddy, as she loves nothing more than watching a team of people achieve their goals. In her spare time, she can be found daydreaming about living in the country, leading her kids on a hike, and chatting about life with sweet friends over a large cup of coffee.

Briana Barrios

Meet Briana Barrios

Bree has been in the virtual assistant world for quite some time and loves every minute of it—the thrill of meeting so many different people and learning so many various tasks is right up her ally. She loves the feeling of stretching beyond what she's comfortable with and is so happy when she's making a difference, whether that's booking some travel or getting a spreadsheet ready. She is always excited to help! In-between managing all her awesome clients you can find her doing anything outside, anything involving food, and anything that's good quality family time. Hiking, going to the beach, checking out parks, pulling weeds, drinking tea, cooking, and Netflix, of course, are just a few of her passions. All with her baby and pups in tow.

Carly Ries

Meet Carly Ries

Carly uses her skills to help clients get their message in front of the right audience as efficiently as possible. By building trust and establishing solid relationships, Carly is able to implement strategies for clients so that they can confidently turn their attention to the things they do best. When not blogging, managing social media, implementing SEO strategies, and analyzing campaign results, Carly can be found traveling the country in her RV, renovating her house a la Fixer Upper, training for “not-so-hardcore” athletic feats such as local scavenger hunts, and brushing up on her stand-up comedy skills.

Content Writers

Emily Hansel

Meet Emily Hansel

Emily studied Art History and is a total architecture nerd. In real life, she actually finds that background extremely helpful! She can easily tell what will be aesthetically pleasing when choosing images or other design elements, and is quite talented at writing descriptions. She has written A LOT of descriptions. At the same time, good customer service is as important to her as proper punctuation. She believes making consumers feel connected to the company is one of the best ways to maintain loyalty. Emily loves that social media gives her the opportunity to use her writing, customer service, and aesthetic skills to help brands both share information and connect with their customers on a more personal level.

Amanda Rodhe

Meet Amanda Rodhe

As the child of two advertising professionals, Amanda likes to think that creativity and writing are in her blood. Outside of her life as a content creator for Don’t Panic, Amanda is a New York-based singer, actor, voiceover artist, and event emcee. When she’s not up onstage or typing away on her laptop, she can be found hanging with her cat, Rosie, or roaming Manhattan in search of the perfect chai tea.

Connect With Amanda Rodhe:

Elise LeBreton

Meet Elise LeBreton

Elise’s background in the performing arts has taught her how to do many things: think on her feet, create on a deadline, and make something amazing when resources are tight (as well as tap dance, sword fight, and play the ukulele). She’s a writer and graphic designer who enjoys wearing many hats, and she’s always willing to try on a new one. When she’s not working for Don’t Panic, Elise is a professional actor and die-hard Shakespeare fanatic. She’s still working on a gumbo recipe that will make her family proud.

Carly Ries

Meet Carly Ries

Carly uses her skills to help clients get their message in front of the right audience as efficiently as possible. By building trust and establishing solid relationships, Carly is able to implement strategies for clients so that they can confidently turn their attention to the things they do best. When not blogging, managing social media, implementing SEO strategies, and analyzing campaign results, Carly can be found traveling the country in her RV, renovating her house a la Fixer Upper, training for “not-so-hardcore” athletic feats such as local scavenger hunts, and brushing up on her stand-up comedy skills.

Dan Rogers

Meet Dan Rogers

Dan does whatever it takes to get it done. Along the way he's picked up a bevy of eclectic skills, a bunch of great stories, and more than a few slices of humble pie. As a director and producer of indie theater, he does it all: logistics, heavy duty research, budgets, digital marketing, transcription, audio editing, event planning, fundraising, and above all else persuasive communication. In his free time, Dan plays trombone and sousaphone in a brass band, goes rock climbing, or reads way too much about the Red Sox farm system.

Erin Guidry

Meet Erin Guidry

A textbook Capricorn and a daughter of the Deep South, Erin honed her instinctual love of organization and high-level strategy by closely watching and dissecting SEC football every autumn Saturday since birth. She thrives on finding the perfect balance between artistry and efficiency to deliver copy that is both compelling and tight. Her writing and editorial experience span fields ranging from marketing to arts & entertainment, and from animal rescue to fashion design. She is a chameleon with a pen. In her free time, she enjoys baking, volunteering with animal organizations, and spending time with her husband and their two blockhead dogs.

Becca Vaclavik

Meet Becca Vaclavik

Becca was trained to work under the “duck” project management philosophy—she is always cool and unruffled on the surface, but paddlin’ like hell underneath. A master in the arts of organization and facilitation, she believes the best way to tackle daunting to-do lists is to infuse joy and a bit of silliness into every project she takes on (not unlike Mary Poppins). She loves storytelling, belly laughs, and creating a sense of community among the people she works with. In her spare time, she can usually be found wandering around in the Rockies with her husband, killing it at Trivia Nights with her friends, or desperately trying to keep her dog Brillo off the furniture.

Content Managers

Elise LeBreton

Meet Elise LeBreton

Elise’s background in the performing arts has taught her how to do many things: think on her feet, create on a deadline, and make something amazing when resources are tight (as well as tap dance, sword fight, and play the ukulele). She’s a writer and graphic designer who enjoys wearing many hats, and she’s always willing to try on a new one. When she’s not working for Don’t Panic, Elise is a professional actor and die-hard Shakespeare fanatic. She’s still working on a gumbo recipe that will make her family proud.

Jess Ostroff

Meet Jess Ostroff

Jess conceived the idea of Don’t Panic Mgmt based on a fortune cookie (and the Coldplay song of course). With the “don’t panic” mantra in mind, she has found that there is nothing too big or strong for her to conquer. Jess is known for making photogenic recipes (and then Instagramming them) and her hilarious dance to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song, “Give It Away”. She firmly believes in the Oxford Comma and has a passion for finding efficient ways to get things done. She is sometimes referred to as “iJess” due to her omnipresence and saver of all sanities.

Carly Ries

Meet Carly Ries

Carly uses her skills to help clients get their message in front of the right audience as efficiently as possible. By building trust and establishing solid relationships, Carly is able to implement strategies for clients so that they can confidently turn their attention to the things they do best. When not blogging, managing social media, implementing SEO strategies, and analyzing campaign results, Carly can be found traveling the country in her RV, renovating her house a la Fixer Upper, training for “not-so-hardcore” athletic feats such as local scavenger hunts, and brushing up on her stand-up comedy skills.

Dan Rogers

Meet Dan Rogers

Dan does whatever it takes to get it done. Along the way he's picked up a bevy of eclectic skills, a bunch of great stories, and more than a few slices of humble pie. As a director and producer of indie theater, he does it all: logistics, heavy duty research, budgets, digital marketing, transcription, audio editing, event planning, fundraising, and above all else persuasive communication. In his free time, Dan plays trombone and sousaphone in a brass band, goes rock climbing, or reads way too much about the Red Sox farm system.

Kimberly Voorhis

Meet Kimberly Voorhis

Kimberly is a lover of all things adventurous who seeks to make the mundane magnificent. She approaches each assignment as a challenge and celebrates the completion of any task with a victory dance. She believes in the power of efficiency and the necessity of teamwork (and coffee!). Organizational effectiveness makes her giddy, as she loves nothing more than watching a team of people achieve their goals. In her spare time, she can be found daydreaming about living in the country, leading her kids on a hike, and chatting about life with sweet friends over a large cup of coffee.

Becca Vaclavik

Meet Becca Vaclavik

Becca was trained to work under the “duck” project management philosophy—she is always cool and unruffled on the surface, but paddlin’ like hell underneath. A master in the arts of organization and facilitation, she believes the best way to tackle daunting to-do lists is to infuse joy and a bit of silliness into every project she takes on (not unlike Mary Poppins). She loves storytelling, belly laughs, and creating a sense of community among the people she works with. In her spare time, she can usually be found wandering around in the Rockies with her husband, killing it at Trivia Nights with her friends, or desperately trying to keep her dog Brillo off the furniture.

Podcast Producers

Jenn Hines

Meet Jenn Hines

Jenn thrives on funky design tasks and Googling even the strangest queries (seriously, you should see her search history). Researching, scheduling, blogging, and hacking photoshop are some of her many specialties. She lives for ambitious deadlines and her organizational skills are unmatched. Usually, you can find Jenn attempting to balance work and life with her husband & new baby boy, while still trying to fit in a little “me-time”. Since there are hardly enough hours in the day, that usually means she’s sitting on the couch at midnight with a glass of moscato, catching up on Scandal episodes.

Jess Ostroff

Meet Jess Ostroff

Jess conceived the idea of Don’t Panic Mgmt based on a fortune cookie (and the Coldplay song of course). With the “don’t panic” mantra in mind, she has found that there is nothing too big or strong for her to conquer. Jess is known for making photogenic recipes (and then Instagramming them) and her hilarious dance to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song, “Give It Away”. She firmly believes in the Oxford Comma and has a passion for finding efficient ways to get things done. She is sometimes referred to as “iJess” due to her omnipresence and saver of all sanities.

Dan Rogers

Meet Dan Rogers

Dan does whatever it takes to get it done. Along the way he's picked up a bevy of eclectic skills, a bunch of great stories, and more than a few slices of humble pie. As a director and producer of indie theater, he does it all: logistics, heavy duty research, budgets, digital marketing, transcription, audio editing, event planning, fundraising, and above all else persuasive communication. In his free time, Dan plays trombone and sousaphone in a brass band, goes rock climbing, or reads way too much about the Red Sox farm system.

Elise LeBreton

Meet Elise LeBreton

Elise’s background in the performing arts has taught her how to do many things: think on her feet, create on a deadline, and make something amazing when resources are tight (as well as tap dance, sword fight, and play the ukulele). She’s a writer and graphic designer who enjoys wearing many hats, and she’s always willing to try on a new one. When she’s not working for Don’t Panic, Elise is a professional actor and die-hard Shakespeare fanatic. She’s still working on a gumbo recipe that will make her family proud.

Kimberly Voorhis

Meet Kimberly Voorhis

Kimberly is a lover of all things adventurous who seeks to make the mundane magnificent. She approaches each assignment as a challenge and celebrates the completion of any task with a victory dance. She believes in the power of efficiency and the necessity of teamwork (and coffee!). Organizational effectiveness makes her giddy, as she loves nothing more than watching a team of people achieve their goals. In her spare time, she can be found daydreaming about living in the country, leading her kids on a hike, and chatting about life with sweet friends over a large cup of coffee.

Social Media Managers

Emily Hansel

Meet Emily Hansel

Emily studied Art History and is a total architecture nerd. In real life, she actually finds that background extremely helpful! She can easily tell what will be aesthetically pleasing when choosing images or other design elements, and is quite talented at writing descriptions. She has written A LOT of descriptions. At the same time, good customer service is as important to her as proper punctuation. She believes making consumers feel connected to the company is one of the best ways to maintain loyalty. Emily loves that social media gives her the opportunity to use her writing, customer service, and aesthetic skills to help brands both share information and connect with their customers on a more personal level.

Becca Vaclavik

Meet Becca Vaclavik

Becca was trained to work under the “duck” project management philosophy—she is always cool and unruffled on the surface, but paddlin’ like hell underneath. A master in the arts of organization and facilitation, she believes the best way to tackle daunting to-do lists is to infuse joy and a bit of silliness into every project she takes on (not unlike Mary Poppins). She loves storytelling, belly laughs, and creating a sense of community among the people she works with. In her spare time, she can usually be found wandering around in the Rockies with her husband, killing it at Trivia Nights with her friends, or desperately trying to keep her dog Brillo off the furniture.